WPP Plc announce a Final dividend of 24.4 pence proposed, up 30.5%, for a proposed total dividend for 2022 of 39.4 pence, in line with their policy of approximately 40% of headline diluted EPS
Other financial highlights include:
FY reported revenue +12.7%, LFL revenue +6.7%
FY LFL revenue less pass-through costs +6.9%; with good performance in Q4 +6.4%
Q4 LFL revenue less pass-through costs by major market: US +3.5%, UK +12.0%, Germany +4.9%, China -8.4%, India +8.5%
Three-year FY LFL revenue less pass-through costs +10.0%; Q4 +10.2%
FY headline operating margin 14.8%, up 0.4 points LFL with strong top-line growth and efficiency savings supporting investment and margin expansion
Reported diluted EPS 61.2 pence; headline diluted EPS up 25.5% to 98.5 pence
Adjusted net debt at 31 December 2022 £2.5 billion (2021: £0.9 billion) after investments and over £1.1 billion of cash returned to shareholders. Average adjusted net debt to EBITDA ratio of 1.46x, slightly below the 1.5-1.75 target range
Trade working capital adverse movement of £226 million at year-end driven by mix and timing factors. Average trade working capital across 2022 was flat year-on-year
